From Holocaust Survivor
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A selection of drawings by renowned Israeli artist Joseph Bau, created while he was interned in the Plaszow concentration camp in Poland, are on exhibit at the Holocaust Resource Center at Temple Judea, Manhasset. Mr. Bau, a graphic artist, illustrator and cartoonist called “the Israeli Walt Disney” survived the Holocaust first by his graphic skills which were needed by the Nazis, and secondly by Oskar Schindler. Bau was one of the workers employed in Schindler’s factory in Czechoslovakia. Bau’s story is remarkable. In a recent profile of him in the Jerusalem Post (April 15, 2001), Barry Davis said, “In an era of public-relations hype and pretty packaging, one can often be duped into believing that a product is far better than it really is. But there is no need for a spin doctor here. Even the best-oiled marketing machine couldn’t possibly produce a more dramatic, tragic or laughter-filled script than the story of Joseph Bau’s life. It is the stuff of pure fantasy…” Born in Krakow in 1920, Bau’s artistic talent was evident from early on. His father, also an artist, encouraged him in his artistic endeavors and once he reached high school, wanted him to go to a prestigious art school. But when Bau was of high school age, it was the 1930’s and discrimination against Jews was firmly entrenched — he was rejected from art school. Instead he attended Krakow Jewish High School where he paid little attention to learning Hebrew or Jewish history, and focused on what he loved – his art. By 1938, when he was ready to enter university, his artistic talent was such that it superseded anti-Semitic sentiments and he was accepted to Krakow University to earn an arts degree. But the world had other ideas, and with the outbreak of World War II, Bau’s studies came to end after only one year – but what he learned in that one year proved critical to his survival. He happened to be one of the few students to learn Gothic lettering of which the Germans were so fond. Forced out of school and into the Krakow ghetto, this skill enabled Bau to produce business signs and forge documents which fooled both the Germans and the Jewish police. Later, still in the ghetto, the Nazis decided his skill was useful to them and had him produce signs and charts for them. In exchange Bau was able to get extra food for him and his family. The special treatment didn’t last though, and Bau along with his family was deported to the Plaszow concentration camp on the outskirts of Krakow. Here again Bau’s graphic skills saved him. He produced signs and plans of the site for the camp’s officers. One day, Bau was asked if he could produce a blueprint. He had no idea how, but knew it was his only chance of survival. The only thing he knew was that the drawing needed to be exposed to sunlight. While trying to find the sunshine, a woman came out and asked him what he was doing. Bau replied that if she could be his sun, he could finish his task. Somehow, he managed to create the blueprint and subsequently searched for the woman who he called “my sun.” The woman was Rebecca Tannenbaum, and she and Bau accomplished the impossible by marrying in the concentration camp. The wedding depicted in the movie “Schindler’s List” is a representation of Bau’s wedding. Rebecca was kept from the gas chambers by being manicurist to the camp commandant Amon Goeth. It was here that Rebecca heard about Oskar Schindler’s munitions factory. Those chosen for Schindler’s list were selected by Goeth’s Jewish secretary Pemper. Rebecca had helped save Pemper’s mother from execution, so Pemper was willing to help her. Instead of putting herself on the list, she asked Pemper to put down Bau’s name, and so they were separated, but ultimately saved. In spite of the horrendous privation in the camp, Bau managed to create tiny drawings that depicted the atrocities of life in the camps, particularly the near starvation of the prisoners. He hid the miniscule drawings in several drum-like containers to be retrieved if and when the camp was liberated. Eventually the camp was liberated and both the drawings and Bau survived. After liberation, Bau gave the drawings to Schindler as a token of his gratitude for saving his life. Years later, following Schindler death, the drawings were found in his attic and returned to Bau. In 1945 Rebecca and Joseph were reunited and returned to Krakow, where he worked as a caricaturist for local newspapers. Three years later, the Baus, with their baby daughter, moved to Israel where he struggled initially. Eventually Bau combined his artistic abilities with his electrical skills and built his own animation studio. He created lettering and unique fonts for the nascent film and commercial industry in Israel and soon had the country’s top film directors flocking to his studio where he earned the moniker of the “Israeli Walt Disney.” In addition to his graphics, animation work, and painting, Bau is the author of several books including Dear God, Have You Ever Gone Hungry. Since 1998, Joseph Bau’s works have been on tour in the U.S. and Canada. Bau, now 81, continues to reside in Israel. To view the drawings, or for further information, please contact of the Holocaust Resource Center at 516-621-8049. |